By Greg Ellison

(March 11, 2021) Focused on community issues and civic engagement, a new private Facebook group, Ocean Pines Get Involved, has expanded rapidly with hundreds of members joining in less than two weeks.

Esther Diller, who along with Colby Phillips is a page administrator, said on Monday said more than 300 members have joined since the page’s launch on Feb. 27

“I’m pretty excited we had such a strong response,” she said. “The goal was to get the community involved [and that] seems to be happening.”

Diller said the intent behind the community watchdog group is to help the Board of Directors stay focused on external, rather than internal, issues.

“It’s not a witch hunt,” she said.

The goal is to highlight issues of communitywide concern.

“What will help our fellow homeowners [and] what will help the board get back on the right track,” she said. “They’re not on the right track and they’ve been off the track for several months.”

Diller, a former director whose husband, Stuart Lakernick, is a candidate for the board in this year’s election, stressed the importance of civic involvement.

“It’s not just our right but our responsibility to question, challenge and hold accountable our boards and their general manager,” she said.

Speaking on Monday, Diller said the Facebook group has an introductory online meeting scheduled that evening.

“To understand what we are and what we are not,” she said. “It’s about issues … this is not a gripe group.”

While taking the lead for the first meeting, Diller said the group would look to build consensus from among many viewpoints.

“This isn’t my group, this is the communities’ group,” she said.

In terms of action, the group aims to send a rotating cast of five or fewer members to provide comments during monthly board meetings

“Not representing their individual interests, but as representatives of our group,” she said.

Diller said the ball would get rolling on Monday night with consensus sought among members on areas of highest concern.

“Tonight we will try to identify three issues to bring to the next board meeting,” she said.

Diller said the other goal for starting the Ocean Pines Get Involved page was to solicit board candidates.

“I’m hoping some of the other families will get involved and want to run because they can add tremendous value with a different set of eyes,” she said. “You have to have people get involved.”

Despite her spouse’s current campaign, Diller is not limiting her outreach efforts.

“I’m not just focused on my husband running,” she said. “I’ve asked over 10 people, plus I have three more I’m talking to today and I just keep asking.”

In addition to encouraging younger residents to consider entering the board election, Diller said homeowners who aren’t full-time residents are eligible if in good standing with the association.

“Everybody on the board right now is a full-time resident,” she said. “How’s that working out for us?”

Diller said the areas of attention should concern electability based on the individual’s priorities and values.

“How about we focus on the person running?” she said.

Diller said transparency is needed in light of recent tensions between staff and board members involving closed meetings and the absence of public disclosures, but resulting in Phillips’ departure from her management position with the association.

“Stop all the closed-door sessions and get back to work,” she said.

Diller also took exception to recent board comments during a March 1 special meeting asking the community to permit time for healing.

“The internal personality differences of this board are not our community’s concern,” she said. “We don’t need to give the board time to play nice — you were elected to do a job.”

The long game is maintaining focus to foster community inclusiveness, not to stoke divisions.

“It’s not about laying blame,” she said. “Let’s just focus and be part of the solution not part of the problem.”